The homeowners association board that unceremoniously dumped a director - without cause - won't be filling that seat for a while.

In court speak, we tell you that Superior Court Judge Frederick Horn granted the preliminary injunction sought by Katie McDaniel - an outspoken reformer-type tossed off the Third Mutual Board of Directors in March (she had only served since December).

In regular speak, we tell you that the judge's order means that the board can't replace McDaniel with someone it likes better until the legal questions are resolved - either by mutual agreement (by reinstating McDaniel to the board perhaps?) or by trial (a case management conference is set for June 22).

None of this means that McDaniel will prevail in the end. But it does mean that the judge wants to keep the facts on the ground from changing while the legal case proceeds.

McDaniel's lawyer, Peter Nitschke was traveling and hadn't seen the court paperwork, so didn't want to comment (though he did sound cautiously optimistic). A lawyer and spokeswoman for the boards at Laguna Woods Village did not respond to requests for comment by deadline.

But fear not - there's no lack of opinion in Laguna Woods Village!

"The Third Board majority should do the right thing and save the community the cost of fighting this lost cause," wrote Mike Curtis, another outspoken reformer-type (who serves on LVW's United Mutual board of directors, and is about as popular there as McDaniel was on Mutual).

"At this point, it will be costing the mutual perhaps over $100,000 to fight this case, versus putting Katie back on the board and having her serve out the remaining 2+ years of her term," Curtis wrote. "Remember, win or lose, the mutual will pick up ALL costs either directly or through their insurance. Katie's costs will undoubtedly be reimbursed since she was a board member at the time of the fiasco. Seems to me, Third could spend their money much more wisely ...."

By way of background, McDaniel was appointed to the Third Mutual board of directors, by the Third Mutual board of directors, in December. She tussled with other directors; and after McDaniel was removed without cause in March, directors said she was argumentative and difficult to get along with.

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